There are loads of creative ways to transition cats from commercial canned and dry foods to a raw diet. In every case, the aim is to help cats make an emotional adjustment—it’s less about their bodies adapting to new food. If a cat were to switch overnight, it probably wouldn’t cause any physical issues.

Kittens usually take to raw food easily—the younger, the better. Adult cats, on the other hand, can be much trickier. Some don’t enjoy the switch at all, and others don’t even recognise raw food as food! For cats like that, the transition can turn into a test of patience and might take longer than expected. That’s totally normal. Still, for cat owners new to raw feeding, emotions can be all over the place—part excitement, part hesitation. When a cat refuses the new food, it can feel like a bit of a blow and confirm any doubts they had. Thoughts like, “If raw food’s so natural and good for cats, shouldn’t they want it instinctively?” or “Maybe they know it’s not good” often pop up.

But cats don’t work that way when it comes to food. For instance, most cats will instinctively hunt, but many won’t eat their prey. That’s because the urge to hunt is instinctive—but knowing what to eat isn’t. In nature, kittens learn from their mothers that what they hunt is also food. In a domestic setting, that link gets lost. Hunting becomes chasing toys, and food comes from a bowl.

Cats learn what to eat early in life. It’s similar to how humans grow up with the food and traditions of their culture. As kittens grow, the window for learning new foods slowly closes, and they become pickier. Starting around four weeks of age, they’re guided by inborn cravings and smells, but mainly learn from their mother (or human carer) what’s safe to eat. Whatever they’re given early on tends to stick—and anything new later, no matter how natural or healthy, feels unfamiliar and gets met with resistance.

So, when switching adult cats to raw food, it helps to keep this in mind. The old saying “they’ll eat when they’re hungry enough” doesn’t work for cats. Many will go without food for days, which is dangerous. That early-life food imprint is linked to their sense of safety—so new food can make them feel unsettled. Success often comes by breaking the change into tiny steps, hiding raw food in their usual meals so they eat it almost by accident at first.

Step One: Get your cat used to eating canned food

If your cat’s only eating dry food, the first step is to stop free-feeding and start serving it in small, timed meals. Then, gradually begin introducing small portions of canned food during those mealtimes. Later on, you can grind the dry food into a powder using a dedicated coffee grinder (just for pet food!) and sprinkle it over the canned food—this keeps the familiar flavour but changes the texture.

Your cat might be very attached not just to the taste of dry food, but also to how it feels in their mouth. So really, this is a double transition: a change in both taste and texture.

Tip: If you’re moving your cat first from dry to canned food, buy the smallest tins of canned food you can find. Lots of cats will only eat canned food when it’s freshly opened. Transfer any leftovers into a small, microwave-safe sealed container and store it in the fridge. When you’re ready to use it, pop a portion in the microwave for 7–10 seconds to warm it slightly—it helps release the aroma and makes it more appealing.

Step Two: Adding raw food to canned food

Once your cat is happily eating commercial canned food, start blending in tiny amounts of raw food. Mix it in well so it’s not too noticeable, and slowly increase the raw portion over a few weeks.

Personally, I’ve found that the more structured this stage is, the more confident I feel about the whole process—having a clear plan to follow. Work out how much your cat needs to eat per day based on their calorie requirements, then increase the raw portion in literal 10% steps each week.

This isn’t an exact science, but disciplining yourself by weighing the food and calculating the increases gives you clear instructions and helps avoid rushing things. It also lowers the chance of setbacks.

Making small, accurately measured changes gives cats a better chance to build trust in the new diet. The shifts are subtle enough not to overwhelm them, and holding each new level for a full week allows them to accept it as the new normal.

Example Transition (200 Calories per Day requirement, starting with 156g (one tin) Canned Cat Food)

Tips:

• Use a small digital kitchen scale to weigh everything. It creates that much more accuracy and clarity.

• When you start mixing in raw food, freeze small portions to reduce waste. Use the table above to guide how many and what size raw food portions you’ll need each week. For example, in Week 2, portion 10 lumps of 16g each (you’ll only use 7, but having extras helps avoid running short). Do the same for each following week—10 x 32g, 10 x 47g, and so on. Once frozen, store them in clearly labelled separate freezer bags.

• Prepare the raw food following the label instructions. One batch made with 900g meat and 100g liver will yield around 1,260g of raw food, which is enough to carry you through to Week 5 (where you’re feeding 40% raw).

• Prepare your daily canned/raw mix in the morning, then divide it into two 78g servings or three 52g servings for the day. Warm each portion in the microwave for about 10 seconds before feeding to release the aroma—it makes the food much more tempting for your cat.

A Matter of Taste

By around week six of the transition, when your cat is comfortably eating meals that are 50% canned and 50% raw, the flavour of the raw portion will begin to dominate. If necessary, you can start top-dressing the meals to help mask the raw taste. Nutritional yeast flakes (not brewer’s yeast or baking yeast) and powdered dry food are popular with many cats and are safe to use.

The inclusion of fresh liver can be a deciding factor for some cats. A few will only eat the raw food because it contains fresh liver, while others may avoid it because of the raw liver. It’s useful to identify your cat’s preference early on. Liver plays an important role in a raw diet—it’s rich in essential vitamins such as A, D, several B vitamins, and various trace minerals. Ideally, fresh liver should be included, but if it proves to be a barrier, you could try using freeze-dried liver instead. Alternatively, the TCfeline Special Formula premix can be used, which supplies these nutrients from other sources.

Some cats may always require a small amount of canned food in their meals. If, by week 10, your cat is eating a mix of 140g raw and 16g canned food but won’t progress further, that’s perfectly acceptable. In this case, you can continue preparing a 1,260g batch of raw food and mix in a 156g tin of canned food before freezing it in portions. If this is what works for your cat long-term, it’s a perfectly valid approach.